Virat Kohli termed 'world class player' and 'delight to watch' by New Zealand legend

Former New Zealand international Richard Hadlee believes current India skipper Virat Kohli is a ‘delight to watch’. Hadlee, a legend of New Zealand cricket, heaped praise on the Indian batsmen, terming him a ‘proud man’.

“I see Virat as being a very passionate and competitive cricketer with a strong desire for himself and the team to succeed,” he said in an interview with ICC.

“He is a proud man and a world class player – a delight to watch. The pressure and expectations on him to ‘win’ is enormous. There are millions of Indian fans who idolize him which puts great pressure on him.

“Virat is responsible for ensuring that Indian cricket remains competitive and be one of the best teams in the world. However, fans still need to understand that we are all human and champions will fail from time to time.

“Any cricketer can score a duck or get no wickets which is deemed to be a failure, but when a player succeeds, everyone is happy, except perhaps the opposition!”

Hadlee on captaincy of Virat Kohli

Hadlee also spoke on Kohli’s aggressive captaincy style, which is somewhat different from New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson’s calmer demeanour.

The fast bowling legend believes that there’s nothing wrong with being aggressive but that the principles of fair play and being a good sport must be adhered to.

“All sports at the highest level, is about competing. It is finding a way to win a game and gain an advantage over one’s opponent.

“There will always been a fine line as to whether gamesmanship from a player or a team goes too far. Umpires and match referees will control this situation and penalties imposed if anything is unacceptable.

“I quite like seeing any player expressing themself towards the opposition by having a real presence. It is a form of intimidation that can be unsettling, and a tactic used by many sportspeople.

“Having said that, sportsmanship and fair play is still paramount. So it is finding that balance between doing what is right and expected from a player instead of going too far and bringing the game into disrepute.”